It's all starting to come together...I think!

I had some very useful meetings last week.

Firstly I met with John Hayward, Regional Manager, Pakistan for CMS (Church Missionary Society). This was a very positive time. John has said that CMS are willing to take me under their pastoral wing. What this means in practice is that John will keep in touch with me and put me in contact with other CMS workers in Karachi and the surrounding areas.

Also John will be in Karachi the first week that i am there and during that time he will introduce me to Bishop Sadiq Daniel, the bishop of Karachi. Bishop Sadiq is a Charasmatic Evangelical, so we should get on well, and John tells me he will be very happy to accept my offer of help either at Holy Trinity Cathedral or St Andrew's Church.

I also met with Peter Smithers who lived and worked in Karachi for 15 years. He worked fo rthe Church of Pakistan, training ordinands, which happened to include Sadiq Daniel, who later became Bishop of Karachi!!

Both Peter and John gave me some helpful advice on living in Karachi and also learning Urdu. The language is something that is concerning me, as I have never found language learning easy. As those who know me well will testify my singing voice is not great and this is mainly because I find it difficult hear the subtle difference in notes, and this is something I am also finding about Urdu. There are many sounds in Urdu that don't appear in English. Also a slight change in sound makes a great difference to the meaning!!

I am aware that most people will speak English but I do want to learn some Urdu, as for the first time in my life I will be the minority. Much of the time I will not know what is going on around me in shops, the street, etc. That will be a very strange situation to be in...

I have made some decisions regarding shipping my 'bits and bobs'. I am only going to take personal effects and some of my books. Everything else I can get out there, and it will be cheaper to buy a new mixer, toaster, etc than to pay the cost of shipping and any duty liable in Karachi. Now I have decided to reduce what I am taking, it is going to go airfreight, which will only take 7-10 days as opposed to 6-8 weeks!

Still four days of school left, really can't wait for that to be over, mainly because it is the end of the year and I am tired, rather than I want to be rid of the school. It has been very dificult at times, but the staff have been brilliant and I will miss working with them.

Well as Zebedee once said, 'Time for bed'...